


awake

by miserynovel



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: M/M, Post-Canon, Spoilers, just...awkward gay stuff with left trauma. as it is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 21:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20973530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miserynovel/pseuds/miserynovel
Summary: Everything is different now. Everything is different, and sometimes, that isn't a bad thing. Galo Thymos sits down for pizza, and this time it's Lio Fotia with him, and both are struggling to process precisely what happened - to the world, and to them, and between them.





	awake

Galo hasn’t been back to the pizzeria since the arrest. Miraculously, it was spared in the blaze; it’s still standing with relatively little structural damage.Now that the owner has been released from prison, it’s operational again, to a certain degree, but it isn’t the same. Not in the least because the pizza-maker’s hands have crumbled to the elbows, and he’s still acclimating to his prosthetics - paid for by the new interim government as reparations. 

Still, life goes on. And Galo finds himself there months later, but this time instead of the rest of Burning Rescue it’s Lio Fiota accompanying him. The team has all gone home for the evening, but Galo and Lio found themselves not entirely ready to go to sleep. The city is gorgeous at night - not quite the same as it was when Kray was in charge, but Galo finds that comforting, and he’s sure Lio does as well. 

Lio stares at his hands as the two wait for food to arrive. Galo’s caught him doing that, recently. It must be so surreal, to have been one thing and now be another. To be the leader of a terrorist organization, hunted, and thinking constantly of flames, with incredible power at his disposal and the overpowering urge to use it...and now, an ordinary human, attempting to live like any other. Trying to rebuild. 

And, of course, it’s come with a certain level of awkwardness. Galo has noticed it - no matter what they’d faced together, off the battlefield Lio keeps a distance between them, difficult to break through. 

“Thinking about something?” he asks. 

“Yeah. We can’t  _ all _ think as little as you.” His insult has no bite to it. Galo has learnt that an insult from Lio is the same as a compliment from most other people. He appreciates how straightforward it is, even if in a roundabout way. 

Galo leans on his hands, across the table, until he’s practically next to Lio. “What about?”

“Things. None of your business, Galo Thymos.” He scoffs, and grins lightly. “Nothing to be worried about, if that’s why you’re so interested.”

“I was a bit worried,” Galo admits. 

“Well, don’t be. If you must know, I…” Lio tents his hands, looking away, at the streets - crowded for the time at night. Rebuilding efforts are still on-going, and Promepolis is far busier than it was before. “...it’s strange, at this point. I hadn’t realized that after everything, after we Burnish were freed...that we’d be expected to live normal lives. It wasn’t a luxury I really had...being able to think about the future, about normal things.”

“I understand. I still can’t believe any of it, not Kray, or the Parnassus, or...what happened in the Prometech Engine. But I’m happy we get to learn to deal with it together. Aren’t you?”

Lio contemplates a moment. “...what happened in the Prometech Engine. You saved my life.”

“Don’t you dare say you owe me or something. You saved my life at  _ least _ twice!”

He scoffs. “Then we each owe the other our lives - I’ve no objection to that. You kissed me.”

Galo feels blood rush to his face. Yes, that  _ had _ happened, hadn’t it? It feels so far away now. “I saw you doing it in the cave, okay? I would’ve asked if you were awake.”

“Well, I wasn’t,” Lio says aloofly. “Shame, that. At least I was awake to see your burning soul ignite the world. Feels like everything since has been a little underwhelming, doesn’t it? Can’t compare to something like that.”

“It was exciting,” Galo agrees. 

“No, that’s not it.” He shakes his head. “Not what I’m talking about. It was...wonderful. May I admit something? The happiest I’ve ever been in my life was when I realized you revived me.”

“I figured you’d be happy about being alive, yeah.” Galo laughs, and when he looks at Lio he’s frowning. 

“You’re dense. You really  _ are _ the world’s number-one firefighting idiot. No, I was happy it was  _ you _ there. And now I’m sort of disappointed I didn’t get to experience it as it happened.”

“Lio…” Galo feels a warm feeling in his cheeks. Amazing how, even as a normal human, Lio can easily light him on fire. “What are you saying?”

“You’re dense,” Lio repeats, and kisses him.   
  


**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote this on my phone on the way back from Promare the first time I saw it. I've seen it five more times since then, and only just now gotten around to posting it. I don't really /write/ fanfiction, as a rule, so this film pretty plainly got to me. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! All comments/kudos/etc are appreciated, and I'll definitely be writing more Promare stuff in the future!


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